SunSirs: LNG-Derived Methane Used for the First Time in Long March Series Rockets
July 15 2026 15:07:45
According to China Chemical Industry News, the Long March-10Y launch vehicle—which successfully achieved grid-fin controlled recovery on July 10—marked the first large-scale application of a new aerospace fuel: high-purity methane derived from liquefied natural gas (LNG). This achievement represents a key technological breakthrough for my country's commercial space sector in the realm of diversified fuel supplies.
The Long March-10Y is my country's first commercial reusable launch vehicle to utilize liquid oxygen/methane propellant. The methane fuel used in this launch boasted a purity of 98.7% and was entirely domestically sourced. Refined from over a thousand tons of LNG through a three-stage deep purification process, this high-purity methane fuel offers storage and transportation costs 40% lower than those of traditional liquid hydrogen fuel, providing a novel and viable solution for the low-cost, high-frequency, and routine launches required by my country's commercial space industry.
Traditional aerospace fuels—such as liquid oxygen/kerosene and liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen—struggle to meet the current demands for high-frequency, low-cost, and routine commercial space launches. In contrast, liquid oxygen/methane fuel has emerged as the preferred choice for my country's next-generation commercial space sector, thanks to its superior performance, compatibility with reusable launch technology, environmental friendliness, and ease of storage and transport.
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